House Passes Bill to Expand Broadband Access in Colorado
On Monday, March 22, the Colorado House of Representatives passed a bill that would expand broadband access throughout Colorado. The proposal, HB21-1109, was brought forward by Representative Brianna Titone and co-sponsored by Matt Soper. The bipartisan bill passed the house in a 47-17 vote.
“Access to reliable broadband isn’t a luxury; it’s become an absolute necessity,” said Representative Brianna Titone, D-Arvada. “More than ever before, Coloradans are using broadband internet for learning, commerce, healthcare, and so much more. Ensuring that rural and unserved communities have reliable access to broadband internet will aid our economic recovery and set our local economies up for sustained success.”
The legislation would help prioritize grant proposals that provide high-speed internet access to low-income households. The bill would also create a process that encourages proposals for unserved areas of the state. Applicants for these grants would have to provide granular mapping data to identify unserved areas. The applicants would also be held accountable to report the number of people served as well as their rates and quality of service provided.
In Colorado, rural areas have struggled over the past few years to receive reliable and quick internet connections. This has caused a restriction in access to services from those living in these rural areas, especially during a pandemic that had caused many services to move online. This includes virtual meetings with health providers, which have been difficult for those in rural areas to attend because of the lack of access to reliable internet.
Expensive infrastructure is a large part of why there is not a lot of broadband access in rural areas. Internet providers such as Century Link would be hesitant to build broadband lines to rural areas if the population there wasn’t enough to recoup their investment. By providing grants to these companies, the bill hopes to increase the willingness of internet service providers to expand to rural areas.
